Monday, March 29, 2010

The big question

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, no surprise to anyone remotely connected to the church calendar. At church we re-enacted the entrance into Jerusalem. We even had a donkey, even if it was on wheels!

The whole point was to raise the big question that Palm Sunday poses. The cross and the resurrection may be the most decisive events in history, but I think Palm Sunday poses the biggest question. Why? Well because your response to cross and the resurrection will depend upon how you answer the question.

The question is in truth rather simple: Who do you believe Jesus to be?

If you believe Jesus to be just another great philosophical teacher who told stories laced with home spun wisdom to make life more bearable, then you will probably look to next weekend as an inconvenience, because the bigger shops will be closed on Sunday, or an opportunity to start the summer jobs that you promised you would do once the weather improved. Eternal destinies and questions of faith will simply pass you by.

However, if you are willing to take seriously what Jesus actually said, and if your are willing to go beyond the sanitised and sterile portrayal of him in many a media offering, and sometimes the church too, then you might just begin to see a different picture and discover a truth that will change everything forever.

You might begin to see a picture of God who loves you so much that he was willing to sacrifice even himself to win your love. Isn't that an amazing idea? That the God who made the universe would actually submit himself to die on your behalf. It might seem incredible, even unbelievable or incomprehensible, but that is exactly what the Bible said happened.

Jesus, through his death and resurrection, does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He makes atonement for our sin, our faults and failings, all those things that serve to separate us from the God who loves us, who misses us. He offers us the opportunity to reconnect with God through his self-sacrifice.

If this is who you believe Jesus to be, then next weekend is a time for great celebration.

If you're still thinking, then maybe you would like to use next weekend to explore the possibilities. It might just help you answer Palm Sunday's big question.

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My Therapy Practice

About Me

I've served as a church leader since graduating from college in 1990, but stepped out of full-time leadership to explore missional church life. Before that I was involved in R&D for a large gas company. University days were spent in Cardiff.

I now work for myself as a Sports & Remedial Massage Therapist and a Personal Trainer. I'm also a qualified tennis coach!

I'm still committed to being a follower of Jesus, even though most people think I've left the church!

I'm married to Anne and have a daughter Ally who is married to David. I have a growing passion for simplifying church!

quotables

There is no future in frustrationCourage isn't the absence of fear; it's moving ahead in spite of your fearWhen we will not provide a place for the indwelling Christ, all that is left is the frenzied agenda of our hassled discipleship